Forgiven

 

…as far as the East is from the West, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

 

I’m a list keeper. Almost every day I make a list of what needs to get done. I’m even one of those who adds things I do that weren’t on the list just so I can cross it off the list. It keeps me organized and productive…most of the time.

Unfortunately this isn’t the only kind of list I’ve been known to keep. Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better about this but early in my marriage I was good at keeping a list of things that bothered me. After a while I would spill the whole petty list on my dear husband who would incredulously say, “But you never said a word!”

Well, he was right, I had not said a word…out loud. I was busy brewing over these little “offenses” in my mind where they became big deals. I held them against him for months before I would spill them. We would talk, he would apologize or make me understand and I would “say” all was forgiven. Six months later he might hear it again when I gave him my new list.

After some study on God’s forgiveness I can see that my old approach is ungodly. As part of her definition of forgiveness Nancy Leigh DeMoss points out that to Biblically forgive means that we will never bring up that particular sin against a person again. That’s God’s standard. He removes our sin as far as the East is from the West when we repent (turn from it). He never holds forgiven sin against us a second time. Once we have confessed and repented it’s over, behind us, regardless of what it was. Wow! What grace!

Can we even imagine the freedom in no resentment or bitterness towards someone who has hurt us? If a person habitually sins against us we may have to decide not to put ourselves in harm’s way again, but we can live in forgiveness.

Unlike my husband who never knew what I was going to bring up in those early years, we can have a very clear answer to what sins we are committing against God. If we ask Him to reveal our sin so we can confess and turn from it, He will most certainly reveal it.

Our marriage has been a whole lot smoother since the time my husband sat me down and said, “We’re not doing this anymore. I can’t read your mind. If you have a problem, you need to tell me.” (Or something really close to that).

That’s what I’m recommending to Christians today. If things don’t seem right in your relationship with Jesus Christ, ask Him to tell you what it is that’s hindering it. Then, make the changes necessary to live in the freedom of having those sins removed and never brought against you again.

I’m still in training but God is faithful and true and we can live guilt free when we turn from any sin He points out to us. He’s also more gracious than people are; He doesn’t usually give us a whole list, only what we can handle.